4.1 – Types of Force

Force

  • A force is defined as an influence which changes, or tries to change, the state of motion of a body or the shape or size of a body.
  • The SI unit for force is the newton (N).
  • Some common types of forces are gravitational force (weight), friction, tension, normal contact force and upthrust.

 

Contact & Non-Contact Forces

Forces can be classified into two types:

    • non-contact forces, which do not require objects to be in contact to exist; and
    • contact forces, which exist between objects that are in contact.
Examples of Contact Forces
Examples of Non-Contact Forces

 

 

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